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Eagles 26, Chargers 24: Five quick observations | Bob Ford

Jake Elliott looked bad before the game but good when it counted.

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz runs with the football past Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Chris McCain during the first-quarter.
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz runs with the football past Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Chris McCain during the first-quarter.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

1. Jake Elliott isn't a batting practice player. The kicker's warm-up wasn't very encouraging Sunday morning in the StubHub Center. He missed the entire screen on a few tries as he hooked the ball left. Once the game started, however, Elliott was as cool as a card player with a pat hand.

2. Carson Wentz doesn't just avoid hits. He can take them. Wentz accepted a couple of shots in delivering passes on Sunday, and it was the defender who usually took longer to get up after smacking against him.

3. The Eagles truly liked the left guard platoon between Chance Warmack and Stefen Wisniewski and stuck with it against the Chargers. It wasn't just a matter of seeing which guy won the job. Apparently, when both are fresh, the running game is better and, amazingly, the cohesion remains good on the offensive line.

4. The losses in the defensive backfield finally showed up as rookie Rasul Douglas had a rookie day while Los Angeles quarterback Philip Rivers picked on him. It would have been more surprising if losing Ronald Darby, Corey Graham and Jaylen Watkins from the backfield hadn't eventually caught up with the defense.

5. After a guy runs 68 yards, give him a play off. The Eagles didn't in the case of LeGarrette Blount and what could have been a gimme score turned into an excruciating three-yard march in the fourth quarter.​